How Hard Plastic Toilet Seats Benefit the Disabled

Filed under Handicap Bathroom, Handicap Equipment

Hard plastic toilet seats offer a wide array of benefits to people suffering from disability or injury by making their lives easier. The right toilet seat can add convenience to a home, minimize pain, eliminate stress and save time and money.

Benefits of Hard Plastic Toilet Seats

1. They’re very cost effective depending on your needs. Plastic is an easy and inexpensive material to manufacture.
2. Plastic toilet seats come in a variety of colors, sizes and styles to fit any taste and decor.
3. Because plastic is a light material, it allows for easy installation, removal and transportation.
4. Hard plastic toilet seats are very sturdy and can support a lot of weight without bending, denting, cracking or breaking.
5. Plastic toilet seats are more pleasant to use than metal, especially in the winter, because plastic doesn’t tend to get as cold. Toilet cushions further reduce this occurrence.
6. They’re long-lasting and can’t be corroded, degraded, warped or rusted like metal or wood toilet seats.
7. Plastics can be embedded with antimicrobial agents for more reliable and consistent defense against illness, especially when used by multiple people.

What the ADA Says About Toilet Seats

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that handicapped toilet seats be between 17 and 19 inches above the floor, which is in line with the average height preference. Higher toilet seats are very important because handicapped individuals must be able to get on and off of the toilet with relative ease. It is a violation of the ADA for any public handicapped toilet to be fitted with a toilet seat that springs back into an upright position after use.

How Special Toilet Seats Can Improve Life

The lack of maintenance required helps relieve some of the burden of responsibilities for people who aren’t able to move about quickly or easily, allowing time for more enjoyable activities. Also, many people with disabilities endure financial hardship paying for medicine, medical care and insurance, so the relatively low cost of plastic toilet seats relieves some of the stress that can happen with having to purchase equipment.

They can even be useful for certain situations. Sometimes, a handicapped person might have to go someplace that doesn’t have an ADA complaint toilet. In this case, portable raised toilet seats are available for convenience. Special toilet seats are also an ideal solution for people with bad knees for whom sitting or standing from a low position can be quite painful.

Cost and Maintenance

Price varies widely, but basic plastic toilet seats start at around $20USD, but ones with all the bells and whistles can run close to $200USD. Maintaining them is an easy matter. Simply spray them with disinfectant or wipe them down with diluted bleach or strong alcohol.

Tags: Bathroom Toilet Seats, Higher Toilet Seats

Elevated Bathroom Toilet Seats for Everyday Use

Filed under Handicap Bathroom

If getting on and off of the toilet has become a chore for you, then consider getting an higher toilet seats that is raised for your needs called an elevated toilet seat. Elevated toilet seats can provide both comfort and safety by decreasing the distance you must travel to sit and stand. It is not only limited to the disabled and elderly but can serve a purpose for post operative patients and those with hip or knee pains.

Why does decreasing the toilet distance make a difference?
Imagine a very low toilet. Squatting down to the low toilet would require plenty of strength and put some physical strain on your knees and hips. Now imagine a toilet higher than the one you use now. There would be less bending at the knees and hips. It would also take almost no effort to sit down.

Who Can Use Elevated Toilet Seats?

Elevated toilet seats are effective for those who have lost any amount of power and mobility whether due to age or injury. The necessary range of motion is lessened by an elevated toilet seat, which makes bending, sitting, straightening, and standing much easier.

An elevated toilet seat is a durable, safe, and effective option that can make daily habits much more comfortable and convenient for you or those you love.

There are various styles to choose from such as clamp-on seats, seats with or without handles, cushioned seats, seats with legs that extend to the floor, and even seats with arm rests.

• Some seats are made with deeper front and rear cut out areas to facilitate easy personal cleaning.
• A splash guard is also available on some elevated seats.
• Seats can come with or without lids. Some are designed with adjustable heights.
• Removable armrests like toilet safety rails, are a great feature if someone will be transferring back and forth from a wheelchair.
• There are also toilet risers with legs, like the image in the right, that provide extra support and stability for someone sitting on a elevated bathroom toilet seat.
• Other options include antimicrobial properties on the seat.
• Raised Elongated Toilet Seats – This raised toilet seat fits in between your elongated toilet bowl and toilet seat. It adds 3 inches to the standard height.

Buying simple elevated toilet seats can range anywhere from $30 to $50 dollars, while added amenities can raise the prices up into the hundreds of dollars. Bathroom toilet seats can be found in very simple and basic styles as well as quite luxurious and fancy. Check out our online store for a good selection of styles and prices.

Bathroom Toilet Seats Installation

Installation and maintenance is relatively easy for most seats. Most raised toilet seats fit right on top of a standard or elongated toilet bowl. Many seats simply lock into place using brackets and no tools are needed. Though they are extremely stable and safe, the elevated seats can also easily be removed to accommodate others using the same toilet. Hinged toilet seats can simply be lifted and lowered between users. This type allows for easy cleaning. There are also bottom install toilet seat risers that blend in with the original toilet because they are placed at the foundation instead of the top.

Bottom Install Toilet Seat Risers

Turn your short bathroom toilets into tall bathroom toilets. Taller bathroom toilets can help those after hip or knee surgery and for people who have squatting problems. But there is a slightly greater degree of difficulty when installing toilet seat risers that are placed on the ground because the entire toilet must be removed and then placed on this pedestal. If this is not a concern, then you can add on 4 inches of height and not worry about any unsightly toilet riser tops. They also are capable of supporting up to 500lbs of weight. Here are two recommended bathroom toilet seat risers.

• Bottom Install Toilet Seat Risers
• Raised Toilet Base Seats

Toilet Seat Elevators

Toilet seat elevators are usually the bottom install toilet seat risers that were discussed above. Instead of placing the increased height on the surface of the toilet seat, it is placed on the ground level. These toilet seat elevators blend in seamlessly with the bathroom environment. Most people will not notice until they actually sit on one and discover how much easier it is to sit down and stand up from the toilet.

When Travelling And Using Public Bathrooms

If using public restrooms is difficult, investing in a portable, lightweight elevated seat is a great option. Since they are easy to install, they can be taken from place to place to ensure maximum comfort and ease wherever you are. In your private accessible bathroom, they should be permanent fixtures that will reduce your strain while standing up from or sitting on the toilet.

Tags: Bathroom Toilet Seats, Bottom Install Toilet Seat Risers, Toilet Seat Elevator